Buttercup walkers raise £38,000 for the RNOH

Posted by Vicky Brady on 06 July 2015

On Sunday 28 June, hundreds of people turned out for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital’s 13th annual Buttercup Walk, and raised over £38,000 towards vital new facilities and services for the hospital’s patients. Despite the occasional rain shower, those joining the walk remained in good spirits, and it was a fun day for all who attended, including patients, families and staff.

The attractions at this year’s Buttercup Walk included live music, a magician and a dog show, and the guest of honour was 90-year-old Norman Sharp, who officially started the walk. In 1948 Norman had the first double hip replacement on the NHS at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital; he now holds the world record for the longest lasting hip replacements ever – 67 years and still going strong. Norman originally came to the RNOH as a five-year-old boy in 1930, and his father took part in the first ever ‘Buttercup Day’ with the then Duke of Gloucester.

Peter Calder, the Chairman of The Buttercup Walk, said: “It’s been another successful Buttercup Walk, and it’s great to see so many of my patients, and lots of happy faces, despite the odd downpour. Our fundraising and development team has worked tirelessly to ensure that today was a success and we’d really like to thank the hundreds of people who came along today to support the RNOH and its charity. I’d like to give special thanks to Norman for being our amazing Buttercup Walk Hero. The money raised is going to help make a real difference to the hospital and the patients that are treated here. We look forward to doing it all again next year.”

Photographs from the day are available on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thernohcharity